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Mark R.

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A new breakfast chain coming to Louisville?

by Mark R. » Thu Jan 17, 2013 5:44 pm

According to this article from Insider Louisville: new-restaurant-chain-coming-to-louisville the chain First Watch out of Miami is coming to the area? The chain won't admit it in an interview, but shows Louisville as coming soon on their website. Sounds like another possible entrant into the rapidly growing breakfast scene locally.
Last edited by Mark R. on Wed Jan 23, 2013 2:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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RonnieD

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Re: A new breakfast came coming to Louisville?

by RonnieD » Thu Jan 17, 2013 11:00 pm

the chain won't admit it in an interview?

How does that work? Where is the logic? "Remember, if they ask you about the 'Louisville Project' just play dumb."

In an unrelated story, do not ask me about a possible J. Gumbo's where the Bearno's was near UofL...
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Carla G

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Re: A new breakfast came coming to Louisville?

by Carla G » Fri Jan 18, 2013 1:06 am

RonnieD wrote:the chain won't admit it in an interview?

How does that work? Where is the logic? "Remember, if they ask you about the 'Louisville Project' just play dumb."

In an unrelated story, do not ask me about a possible J. Gumbo's where the Bearno's was near UofL...


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Andrew Mellman

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Re: A new breakfast came coming to Louisville?

by Andrew Mellman » Fri Jan 18, 2013 10:51 am

Having eaten at most of the local places - and most of the national and regional chains - I'd rank First Watch near the bottom. It has a more limited menu than most, and while it does what it does very well there's nothing that stands out compared to its competition. It's around a solid two star experience: not terrible, worth going if you're in the area and don't want to drive anywhere, but definitely not worth a special trip.
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David Lange

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Re: A new breakfast came coming to Louisville?

by David Lange » Tue Jan 22, 2013 6:40 pm

Andrew, I see what you mean with "limited". With only 41 selections on the menu, the menu seems pretty sparse. I guess the 74 locations that they now have must be doing something wrong.
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Re: A new breakfast came coming to Louisville?

by Jeff Cavanaugh » Wed Jan 23, 2013 11:12 am

I haven't eaten at First Watch, but my wife has, and her opinion was that it doesn't compare favorably to most of the local popular breakfast spots.
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Re: A new breakfast came coming to Louisville?

by Andrew Mellman » Wed Jan 23, 2013 1:20 pm

David Lange wrote:Andrew, I see what you mean with "limited". With only 41 selections on the menu, the menu seems pretty sparse. I guess the 74 locations that they now have must be doing something wrong.



Maybe it's me; if so, I apologize. I've been to restaurants with only a dozen items on the menu, but where each is so unusual and wonderful sounding that I can't wait to order, and seen others with 41 items on the menu that all appear variations on a theme, not different, not unusual, maybe (for breakfast) a step above Bob Evans but that don't manage to excite me. First Watch is just not exciting. When we go I don't say to my wife, "boy, I'm really looking forward to their Everything Muffin" as I say entering Wild Eggs.

I put the First Watch menu in the category of not boring but at least to me definitely not exciting or "fun".

(by the way, as the on-line menu says, not all selections are available at all locations . . . in fact, I've been to four locations, and none had anywhere near that many choices - most had 1/3 to 1/2 of them)

As I said, what they do they do well. When we're in Cincinnati, we go frequently, as there is a location around the corner from some relatives. In Cleveland, we bypass it for either The Original Pancake House or one of the local deli's. It's not in Chicago, but could never compete with Toast, Orange, Yolk, Walker Brothers Original Pancake, or literally dozens of local pancake houses.

No question but there are a lot of worse chains out there, that are still at least as successful with as many locations as First Watch. I can't defend people's taste in restaurants. It certainly provides comfort food, nothing truly "risky", and loved by the masses, but given a choice between First Watch and Wild Eggs/Verbana/Toast/several others in town there is no question where I'd go.
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